4 ways West Ham can line-up in the upcoming Premier League season
With West Ham announcing the signing of Felipe Anderson from Lazio for a club-record transfer fee, becoming the seventh signing under Manuel Pellegrini, let's take a look at four ways West Ham can line-up in the new Premier League season under Manuel Pellegrini.
With a new manager in Manuel Pellegrini and a huge number of big signings along with the already existing star cast, West Ham has set itself high standards on the upcoming Premier League season.
Pellegrini is a well-known face for the lovers after he guided Manchester City to the 2013/14 Premier League title. The Chilean is known for his half South American, half European style of play with many intricate passing moves, crosses, solo-runs and set pieces.
Here is a look at four possible ways the Hammers might line up next season.
#1: 4-2-3-1
It is one of the most used formations by Manuel Pellegrini when he was the manager of Manchester City.
This system demands very much from the wing-backs with constant bombarding runs while attacking and almost regularly facing one-to-one situations while defending, therefore, the wing-backs have to be strong tacklers.
One of the double holding midfielders are given the job of nipping out any potential attacks while the second holding midfielder is given the deep-lying playmaker role or for supporting the No.10
The central attacking midfielder is the most creative player in this system as he can provide width or go for goal on his own. The right and left midfielders in this system must adept at attacking and defending.
Pellegrini is expected to start with Marko Arnautovic up top with either Jack Wilshere or Felipe Anderson as the centre attacking midfielder and versatile Brazilian or Saed Haksabanovic (depending on the position of Anderson) on the left, as Lanzini is out for quite a few months, with Andriy Yarmolenko on the right.
Wilshere is more likely to be kept in his usual deep-lying playmaker role with Cheikhou Kouyate as the defensive midfielder.
The defensive line could be made up of the young French defender Issa Diop and Angelo Ogbonna in the centre, Ryan Fredericks and Arthur Masuaku or Aaron Cresswell (in his preferred position) in the full-back roles and Lukasz Fabianski in the goal.
Wilshere might be prompted to play in the attacking midfielder role instead of his usual deep-lying playmaker if Manuel Lanzini is not completely fit with the central midfield roles given to captain Mark Noble or Pedro Obiang and Cheikhou Kouyate in this formation.
The Chilean is sure to start Lanzini in the No.10 role when he returns back from injury with Wilshere slotted back to the centre of midfield or Felipe Anderson moved to the left flank.